Fuinur
by Tomanyideas
Summary: Fuinur and his sister Taali are the only ones who survive an attack on their village. Faramir arrives with his rangers just in time to save the two young easterlings and takes them to the White House in Emyn Arnen. Story is set after The War of the Ring.
1. Chapter 1

Fuinur cast a quick glance back over his shoulder. The smoke was still rising above his village. The tarks had attacked in the early morning when everyone was still asleep. He could still hear the screams of the dying and the clash of the swords as the men tried to defend their homes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered pressing both hands against his eyes trying to stop the tears from streaming down. He was meant to become a warrior of Rhun and now he was hiding in the grass like a scared rabbit, leaving his family to their fate. He wouldn't die this way. He would go like a warrior, brave and a sword in his hand.

Taking a shaky breath he stood up. Crouching down low in the high grass he headed back to the village. The soldiers were busy plundering the houses not ravaged by fire. As Fuinur reached the edge of the small village he spotted a man dragging his two year old sister Taali out of their house. The man threw her to the ground in an effort to rid himself of her incessant whining.

Fuinur gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard his fingernails dug into the palm of his hands. If he had been older he would have killed the man. The tark who had taken his sister out of his house was coming back carrying a flare. He spat on the sniffling toddler as he passed and grinned savagely as he threw the flare on the roof. The damp straw did not take immediately, at first it looked as if the flare would extinguish before it quickly spread. Thick black smoke began to rise into the air. The sight of his burning home broke Fuinur, but he tried to remain calm. If he wanted to save his sister he had to focus. He had to get into the house and get his father's crossbow. The weapon was hidden under the mattress of his parents and the quarrels were under a loose plank in his own room together with a long hunting knife. The weapons were so valuable, Fuinur's father had not wanted to risk them being stolen.

Fuinur took a deep breath and ran towards the house. He heard the surprised yell of the man who had lit his house and Taali stood up and headed over to him raising her short arms in his direction.

"Not yet." He whispered then ran into the house before the tark could stop him and immediately started coughing. The smoke had nearly filled the entire house. Almost blind, he stumbled over to his parents' room. So much of his focus was placed on the doorframe he did not spot the body lying on the ground. He stumbled and fell to the ground. His heart stopped as he could barely make out the shape of his mother's face. An arrow was stuck in her chest. A surprised and disbelieving expression was still on her face, so he guessed she had at least had a quick death.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and looked away.

He got to his feet again and ran into his parent's room. Jerking the thin mattress away he found the small trap-door. He jerked it open, spotted the crossbow and picked it up. Now he only needed the quarrels. He stopped stunned as he spotted what was lying under the crossbow. It was a scimitar made of damask steel and there was another sword. It looked totally different to the swords he was used to. It was straight and double-edged. Strange runes had been carved into the blade too.

His thoughts were roughly interrupted as something hot hit his neck. He threw a quick glance up. Sparks were raining down from the roof, gleaming like fireflies in the thick smoke. Some of them fell on him burning small holes into his clothes. Trying to ignore the burn he grabbed the scimitar, not even bother with the larger strange sword as it was too heavy for him to carry along with the other weapons. He hooked the scimitar to his belt, then ran in the direction of his room, but didn't find the door. He fumbled in desperation for the door nearly crying in relief when his hands brushed against the wooden frame. His eyes were nearly blind cause of the smolder and he tried to wipe the burn away. Crouching down low he crawled into his room and into the closest corner to the left.

"Third from to the left, third to the left." He whispered then found the plank. It was still in place. He went to open it he heard the main beam crack. Glancing up he saw that the whole roof was on fire. It had sagged down several feet, barely holding together. Quickly he pressed on the left side of the plank causing the other side to look up a bit. Grabbing it he yanked it away revealing the quarrels and the hunting knife. Fastening the knife next to the scimitar he grabbed the quarrels and the leathern quiver.

The beam cracked again, sagging even more, his eyes widened with fear and he sprang to his feet. Fuinur sprinted out of the room and ran towards the door. The man was still out there now holding a sword in one hand and Taali's arm in the other.

Coughing and with burning eyes Fuinur got out of the house just as the roof collapsed. Millions of sparks erupted into the sky like a display of fireworks.

"Seems like you brought me some gifts," the man said in the Eastern Tongue. Fuinur looked at him frowning; he had spoken his language without any accent.

"You aren't from Gondor," Fuinur accused eyeing the man's face; but the armor the man was wearing was clearly made from a Gondorian smith.

"No, I'm not a tark, but now give me the weapons," He ordered and held out his hand, letting Taali go, who immediately ran over to Fuinur crying out his name loudly. The noises drew the attention of the other plunderers, but as they saw it was just a boy, they turned towards the other houses again. Fuinur crouched down and pressed a quick kiss to Taali's forehead as she buried her face in his trousers. The man had meanwhile gotten closer and yanked the scimitar out of its scabbard.

"Beautiful weapon," he whispered and ran a finger across the blade, "Very sharp. Wonder how it works?" He threw a devilish glance at Fuinur who immediately realized what the man was thinking. He pushed Taali to the ground and drew the hunting knife in one swift motion. With a ringing sound the blades clashed together. The force of the blow nearly numbed Fuinur's hand but he raised the long knife once again.

The plunderer simply grinned and raised his sword. Suddenly he heard a whizzing sound and soft thump. The man stumbled to the side and the sword fell to the ground. In the side of his neck stuck a long arrow with an elegant feathered end. Two more arrows burrowed themselves into his body sending the man to the ground. With a gurgling sound the plunderer raised his head and stared at the boy in front of him, before his head dropped to earth and he moved no more.

"ATTACK!" came a great cry in Westron. The boy looked up and spotted many cloaked figures running towards the houses, their swords ready. A tall man with a fair and noble face, brown-haired and grey-eyed ran over to him with a long sword in the hand and a longbow in the other.

"Are you harmed?" He asked in Eastern Tongue, with a heavy accent.

Taali had started to cry again. The tall man in the long cloak was scaring her.

The noble faced man pushed his sword back into its scabbard and observed the two children standing before him. The boy hugged the small wailing girl close to him with one arm, while the other hand held a long hunting knife. The boy looked to be at the age of ten or older, but the girl could not have been much older than two. The boy was watching him warily as he tried to decide whether the noble man before him was a threat or not.

"What's your name?" the nobleman asked. The language of Rhun was difficult to speak. Some words were the same as Westron, but most had completely different pronunciations and a modified meaning. The boy however seemed to understand him as his eyes widened, but he didn't answer.

"My name is Faramir Denethor's son," he added in hope to get the boy to speak.

"You're the …." Then he rambled on so quick that Faramir didn't understand anything except a few words like, tark, your fault, our land, don't belong here.

"Slow down, I don't understand."

The boy looked up at him and changed into the Westron, "You Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien. You one leader of the Tarks, you have no business here. All this be your fault. You cause starve in our land, causing men to kill and steal. You take most valuable land for yourself. But this our land, our ancestor here died, protect this. You not belong here!"

"I know." He replied calmly. That statement took some fight out of the boy.

"Why you here then?"

"An old man alerted to the attack a week ago. Somehow he knew that these bandits would strike here. We came to help, not to conquer, and we certainly do not wish to take your lands."

"Which old man?" The boy asked, while he absentmindedly caressed the girl's head. She had calmed down a bit was now only sniffling.

"I do not know. I did not believe him at first, but ordered a scout to take a look. The man had described where their hideout was and he was right with every word; their numbers, and how well they were armed. Unfortunately we were too slow. Yesterday evening we tried to surprise them in their camp, but they were already gone. We followed their trail and found your village," he paused and gave the boy an apologetic look, "We came too late, I am sorry for that."

Taking an unsteady breath the child looked up at him and Faramir spotted the unshed tears in his eyes. It took Fuinur all his willpower not to burst into tears.

"Captain Faramir, they fled as they saw us coming but we managed to cut off their retreat. None survived. They were wearing armor of Gondor. I think they got it from the escort of the diplomat King Elessar sent to Rhun, at least now we know what happened to those people."

"Thank you Damrod, anyone wounded?"

"None badly wounded. Mablung was only grazed."

"Good."

Faramir turned towards the boy again. He did not know what to do with the two children. He felt guilty as he had not gotten there in time. At the same time he knew he could not have simply trusted to old man.

"Can you tell me your name, so I can look out for your family?" he finally asked.

"My name is Fuinur Fuinar's son. My older brothers Ainur and Fanuir died of disease and Taali here is my only sibling left. My parents are dead. I do not know if the others will take me into their family." he explained in Eastern tongue due it was too complicated to him to translate everything into Westron.

Faramir sighed and looked around. The boy didn't stand a chance if he left him here, nor his little sister Taali. If they were lucky enough to get caught they would be sold as slaves; if not some Wargs would be more than happy to have them for dinner.

Faramir studied the boy's face. He looked close to crying, but tried to cover his true feelings with a grim expression.

"You will come with us."

Fuinur looked at him and his eyes narrowed, "As your servant?" he said defeated.

"No! I will see what I can do for you. You will live better in Ithilien than here."

"You teach me how to handle sword? I want revenge on Balchoth." The boy snarled.

"If it's your wish to become a warrior, I will see it done," Faramir replied and bent down to take the sword out of the dead man's hand. He examined the scimitar carefully before he handed it back to the boy who struggled getting it back into its scabbard.

A sad smile crossed Faramir's face; the boy had a long way to go. "Come, we have a long way back."

He held out his hand towards Fuinur but the boy put Taali's hand in his. Faramir, who had intended to help him with the heavy weapons, sighed and crouched down in front of the small girl. She tried to pull her hand free as tears started to pour out of her eyes when she realized that her brother had handed her over to the tall stranger.

The boy put a reassuring hand on her head and whispered in eastern tongue, "Don't cry Taali. He's a good man. He'll help us."

Taali did not listen to what he said and burst into loud wails reaching out with her free arm to her beloved brother.

"You can pick her up now Sir. She will cry for a while, but if I walk next to you she will realize that you mean no harm." He explained.

"Don't be afraid. I'm only going to carry you." Faramir cooed and picked her up. She immediately started to holler, squirm and wiggle. Fuinur reached up and stroked her cheek and murmured something in his own tongue. He continued whispering to her and first after a few seconds the Prince of Ithilien realized that the boy was humming a song for her. Taali had meanwhile settled down and was staring at her brother with wide eyes. With slow steps Faramir went over to his horse and placed the child in the saddle. Fuinur continued to sing softly for her and soon she was totally calm again.

"What did you sing?" Faramir asked.

"A lullaby my mother always sings… sang to us." Fuinur replied with low voice.

Faramir absentmindedly the girl's head and she lay it down on his shoulder, just like his own daughter used to do when she had been smaller.

He would talk with Fuinur later on the way back to Emyn Arnen. The boy had plenty to think of for this day. And once they were back home he would continue to question the old man how he had known everything about this attack. After Faramir had done that he would try to come up with a good solution for Fuinur and Taali.

* * *

><p><strong>So that was the first chapter of the first part. I intend to write a long story in which I'll be playing around with the descendants of the characters of the books. Mainly Faramir's and Eowyn's children, but all the other characters will also appear. The story I'm planning to write will be divided into two. One is about, as already said, the childhood and the other the main story will primarily be about the Easterlings with Fuinur as protagonist.<strong>

**I have found a beta reader! Finally. This chapter is replaced with the corrected one. Thanks for checking everything Aelthar101!**

**So I hope you liked it and please give me some feedback.**


	2. Firiel

Firiel sat on the wall of Emyn Arnen, drumming her heels in a steady rhythm against the stone.

"Firiel!" She turned around and spotted Madril walking towards her a concerned look on his face, "I don't think you mother would appreciate to knowing you are sitting on the edge of the walls again."

He grabbed the back of her clothes as soon as he had reached her and let out a relieved sigh, now she was safe.

"Great, now I can stand up!" she cheered.

"Oh no, you don't," Madril wrapped his other arm around her waist and picked her up.

"Awwww, Madril! Please put me down again," Firiel pleaded.

She knew her father had asked the guard to keep an eye on her whenever he was able to, but she had not expected him to take it so seriously. Yet on the other hand sitting on a thirty feet high wall was not exactly a safe activity. The soldier ignored her and headed towards the stairs, not listening to her protests.

"The walls are out of limits for children. That goes for you too!" he chided.

Firiel simply rolled her eyes. Being the daughter of the Prince of Ithilien brought some benefits, but also some disadvantages. The guards always had an eye on her and rarely left her out of sight if she was wandering around in the city. Suddenly she spotted a movement on the fields and looked over Madril's shoulder.

A group of rangers were heading towards the city. Her eyes darted from person to person until she spotted her father. A wide smile spread on her lips.

"MADRIL!" She yelled.

The soldier flinched of the loud sound so close to his ear. "What?" He asked in clear annoyance.

"Ada is back! Look! He's coming back and….." She broke off; she had spotted the small figure walking next to her father. The guard turned around and changed his grip on her so she was still able to look over the wall.

"Good. I will bring you back to your mother and you can greet your father in your house." He stated leaving no room for arguments, then added, "And maybe you can listen to your mother just for once today and dress yourself like a maiden."

"But I cannot run fast in a dress nor can I climb in trees." Firiel protested with all the outrage a six year old could muster. Madril shook his head at her, secretly glad his daughter wasn't like her.

Firiel stood next to her mother and looked at the boy with great interest. His skin was darker than hers, as if he had been outside in the sun everyday in the summer. His hair was pitch-black and short, he had brown eyes and his clothes were made of reddish brown fabric. His facial expression seemed grim; his eyes were sad. He walked very slowly into the entrance hall, obviously insecure about the big building and all the people.

Her older brother Elboron tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at him and flashed him a smile. The fifteen year old bent down to her level without returning her grin.

"Stop staring like this Firiel. It is rude and he is already feeling uncomfortable," he whispered.

When she poked her tongue out at him he gave her a light slap to the back of her head.

"Ouch!" she raised her foot and aimed for her brother's shins when she suddenly noticed that he was wearing greaves. Muttering she lowered her foot again and turned her attention back to her father and the boy, who were now standing in front of them.

The steward of Gondor looked at his wife, and pulled her into an embrace. He had missed her. For two months he had been travelling around in Ithilien looking after the borders and then right as he had returned back to the White House, the old man had appeared and begged for his help. Two more weeks had passed, until finally, he was home.

When he let go of her she smiled at him, but then whispered, "The old man is gone Faramir."

Faramir's eyes went wide, but he quickly suppressed the feelings and turned towards his children.

"Elboron, Hallas, Firiel. These are Fuinur and Taali. Their parents were killed during a raid of the Balchoth. They will live here until I've found a home for them."

He turned to the young easterlings, "Fuinur, Taali, this is my wife Eowyn and these are my children Elboron, Hallas and Firiel," he began with the oldest and finished with the youngest, "Dinner will be ready soon. Asta will show you your room. You will get some fresh clothes and you can take a bath if you wish. Fuinur I think you have the same size as Hallas. I am sure we will find a tunic for you which will fit until you've got your own clothes."

Fuinur nodded and put an arm around Taali's shoulder. A servant called for Asta who soon appeared in the hall.

"Yes?"

"Please take the children to our guestroom and see that a bath will be prepared for them. I think Hallas can lend Fuinur one of his tunics and Taali can take Firiel's old clothes," Faramir repeated the order.

Asta nodded and offered her hand to the boy. After some seconds of hesitation Fuinur took it and she led them out of the hall deeper into the house.

After everything had been arranged Faramir turned to his children. Crouching down he spread out his arms. This was the sign Firiel had waited for. With a loud squeal she flung herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So what has my little princess experienced while I was gone?" He asked.

"Very much, a few days ago I climbed a really big tree and slipped when I was nearly up on the top. But I managed to get a hold of a branch and didn't fall down. Yesterday Hallas fought with Angbor during the training sessions and won. You know Angbor is the best in his class, but Hallas still won and afterwards I had my training session with nana. She says I still got much to learn and then…." Faramir patiently listened to her excited babbling until she was finished.

"Ada," Elboron made a respectful bow, but grinned afterwards.

The steward put his daughter down and put both hands on his sons' shoulders. "You look good and your new armor seems to fit perfectly." He smiled, but adjusted the cloak a bit, "But I'm sure you would look even better in it if you wouldn't bicker with your little sister," he winked at him then turned to Hallas.

"How exactly did you win against Anbor? I want to hear every detail," the boy's eyes lit up again, when it was finally his turn to tell his tale. He had looked quite disappointed when Firiel had told his father about it, but now Faramir would get to hear everything.

"In the beginning, he put me under pressure, but I just kept dodging until he was tired. Several times he nearly landed a hit and once it was this close," he said raising his thumb and index finger to emphasize how close it had been.

While Faramir was listening to his children's tales he thought how wonderful it was to be at home again.

Fuinur ran a cloth over his sisters back while she tried to catch some soap-bubbles with her tiny hands. Asta was kneeling at the side of the tube and watched him. She had offered him her help, but he had denied. He was the oldest of his family now and it was his duty to take care of her.

He had managed to retain his dignity during the march to the city and he was proud of that. No tear had escaped his eyes, except for one or two during the night, when no one had seen him. But the lump in his throat seemed to grow thicker and thicker with each hour he spent in these halls. They lived in such abundance while his family had fought every year to survive.

"Fuinur," he heard the voice and looked up.

Asta gave him a warm smile and then pointed into the tub, "You should also get into the water while it's warm."

"I would like to be on my own then," he replied.

The woman nodded and picked up a small bucket. She filled it with water, then poured it over Taali's head. Fuinur held his little sister while Asta quickly washed out the girl's hair. When she was finished she picked her up. Despite her noisy protests Taali was wrapped into a towel and dried, while Fuinur slowly stripped off his ripped shirt.

"The towel is next to the tub and if you need something, you only have to call," Asta said and carried Taali to the room next door.

The boy quickly stepped into the tub, washed himself as fast as he could, before quickly getting out again. He dried himself vigorously with the towel then looked around for clothes. Fuinur spotted a tunic in a pale blue color lying on the bed. He headed over and run a finger across the fabric. It felt softer than every cloth he ever had worn. Careful as if he was afraid to rip the fabric he dressed himself then sunk down on the bed.

What would his mother have said if she had seen him in such clothes? A tear trickled down his cheek and he angrily brushed it away. He would not cry. He was strong.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts; before he could answer Faramir entered the room.

"I see the clothes are fitting," the steward sat down on the bed next to Fuinur and simply watched him.

He was concerned. The boy had not shed a single tear during the whole trip, but upon closer examination he seemed about to burst into tears now. His eyes were filled with tears, but furiously Fuinur still tried to blink them away.

"Do you consider crying a weakness?" Faramir asked gently and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. That did it. A stifled sob escaped the boy's throat and he jerked his shoulder away.

"Do you want to see me crying?" He sniffled successfully avoiding the question Faramir had asked him.

"No. But I think every child would be sad if their parents died, so crying and grieving over your loss is only natural."

"Leave me alone, please." Fuinur whispered with hoarse voice. All he wanted to do was to curl up into a small ball and cry everything out. Instead of leaving Faramir put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a light hug. Fuinur's body reacted automatically. He wrapped his arms around the steward's chest and buried his face in his shoulder.

When Asta entered the room, because she heard the sobs Faramir waved her out again. The boy needed some time to calm down now and not someone who would fuss over him.

An hour and lots of tears later Fuinur finally had calmed down a bit and released himself out of Faramir's hug. The steward looked down at the child, put a hand under his chin and tilted the boys head up.

"It's better to let it out than bury the grieve inside you. In the end it will come out whether you want or not."

Fuinur went to answer, but a soft knock on the door interrupted him. Taali and Asta entered the room. The small girl looked around then ran over to him and tried to climb up on his lap. The boy picked her up and sat her down on his knees. She grinned up at him and he pulled her into a tight hug.

_What would become of him now?_


	3. A new Home

Chapter 3

"I'll leave you two alone now. Asta will come and fetch you when it's time for dinner." Faramir said with gentle voice, then headed out of the room. In the hall he met his oldest son Elboron and his wife Eowyn. Faramir could hear Firiel's laughter echo out of her room, so he knew that Hallas was playing with her.

"Faramir. Elboron has something to tell you about the old man. We should better talk about it in the conference room," she said with hushed voice.

Faramir nodded his understanding. Eowyn obviously didn't want her younger children to hear what Elboron had to say. "Come then. We don't have much time, before dinner." Faramir stated and made an inviting gesture towards the conference room."

After Eowyn had closed the door and made sure no child had followed them she turned around and gestured Elboron to get started.

"It was me who had the watch. A few hours before your messenger came to tell us about your arrival and whom you would bring with you. A blue bird landed on the balustrade right in front of me. I had never seen such a creature before. It was as big as a hawk and its eyes were red as blood. I was marvelled by its beauty, but after a few seconds the bird spread its wings and flew straight into the old man's room." He stopped and looked at his father, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Well I got curious and Madril came earlier to his shift. I asked him if I could go now or if he wanted me to keep him company. He declined and I hurried up to the man's quarters. When I entered the room only the blue bird was there. Nothing more, but the eyes… they were blue too now. And I'm sure they had been red before Ada. I looked through the whole house, but the old man was gone."

Faramir just kept staring at his son with a slightly bewildered look on his face. "Are you sure of everything you told me?"

"Yes, Ada. I'm sure and I know how it sounds. Nana didn't believe me at first and went to check the room, that's when she found this. She told me to look after it, because it had been me who had detected everything." He reached inside his pocket and took a somewhat scrunched up blue feather. He handed it to his father who held it up against the sunlight examining it carefully.

"I've never seen a blue bird and what you're telling me sounds as if the man had been a sorcerer. And the blue colour... I wonder..." He broke off and put two fingers against his chin while he was trying to remember the old stories.

"What?" Eowyn asked impatiently.

"Five wizards were sent to Middleearth to help the Free People and the Elves to fight against Sauron. Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown and Alatar and Pallando who are also known as the blue wizards. We know what have happened with the first three. Saruman was killed, Gandalf sailed to Valinor after he had fulfilled his quest and Radagast lives in the Mirkwood now, but where is not known. However Alatar and Pallando went to the east and tried to fight Sauron in these lands. We don't know if they have been successful or if they have been killed. Maybe they have even been corrupted by Sauron and diminished when he died." He explained, "But as it seems one of them is alive, whether this was Pallando or Alatar I can not say, but maybe Arwen knows more. We should send this to her and keep a careful eye on the young easterlings. If a wizard wanted me to save them there has to be a reason."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. All three of them turned towards the door and Faramir quickly hid the feather inside his cloak.

"Come in." Eowyn called.

The servant Asta slowly opened the door. "The dinner is ready sir. If you wish I will go and fetch our guests?"

"No, it's okay. I'll do that." Faramir waved off and got to his feet. When Asta had left the room again he gave the feather back to his son. "Send it to Aragorn together with some documents of the monthly settlement." He turned to his wife. "Could you write a letter which will explain everything?"

She nodded.

"Thanks." He headed out of the room and down the corridor towards the guest-rooms. The door was slightly ajar, he gave it a light push and it swung open revealing the two siblings. They were both fast asleep. Fuinur lay outstretched on the bed, while Taali had curled herself together at his side hugging his left arm.

"Seems like you two will miss the dinner." He whispered. Taali whined in her sleep when she heard the voice. Faramir headed over to the bed, carefully not to wake them up he tucked them in with a soft cover. A soft smile played on his lips, when he headed out of the room. He had another thing to discuss with Eowyn.

Fuinur woke up early. His stomach was growling and he was reminded that he hadn't eaten something since the breakfast yesterday. He was distracted from his hunger by a movement at his side. Taali had tucked herself close to his side and was still fast asleep. Her hands were buried in his shirt and she was drooling on the mattress. He stayed still, but looked around in the room.

Yesterday he had been too tired and worn out to care about how it was looking. It was made out of the same white stone like the rest of the building. The sunlight streamed into the room through one large window on the eastern side. Careful not to wake his little sister up the boy got to his feet and headed for the window. Steadying his arms on the frame he looked out.

The light of the sun was reflected by the white stones from the city and he was blinded for a moment. After a while his eyes had adjusted to the new conditions and he looked around.

The White House was standing on a small hill in the middle of the city. Right in front of him he spotted the market place. In the middle were a large fountain and several women were fetching water for cooking the breakfast.

Suddenly he felt a soft tug on his leg and looked down. Taali was staring up at him with big eyes her thumb firmly planted in her mouth. She reached up with her arm a clear sign that she wanted to be picked up. Smiling he bent down and followed her order. Her eyes grew even bigger when she admired the city.

The door creaked behind him and he turned around. In the door-frame stood the two smaller children he had met yesterday. Hallas and Firiel were their names, if he remembered correctly. The boy looked to be his age, but the girl seemed to be a few years younger than him.

"Morning." Firiel greeted him excitedly and ran over to him. Before he could react she had taken one of his hands in hers and was examining it closely. "Why is your skin so brown?"

Momentarily confused Fuinur simply stared at the child in front of him, "I... I... have no idea." He finally concluded dumbfounded.

Firiel shrugged off the answer as if she had forgotten her own question. She turned to Taali who had been approaching the other girl curiously. Firiel crouched down in front of the toddler and gently tweaked its nose. Taali surprised by the sudden touch took a step backwards, stumbled over her own feet and fell on her backside. Scrubbing her nose she tried to stand up again causing Firiel to giggle about her clumsy movements.

Hallas was still looking at Fuinur, then said barely audible, "Breakfast is ready. Ada told me to come and look if you're up."

"We come." He replied and a grin spread on his face when he heard Taali laugh. The small child had managed to get up on its own feet and grabbed a fistful of Firiel's clothes to steady herself.

"Come now." The boy mumbled and turned around.

"Don't be rude Hallas!" Firiel scolded and turned towards her guests. "He's always cranky in the morning, but we'll show you around in the city after breakfast. Ada told us we had the day off, because he needed to discuss some things with our tutor and Nana." She came over to him grabbed his hand and dragged him and his sister down the corridor in a swift pace.

Half a way down the corridor the three of them ran into Faramir.

"Morning Ada." Firiel chirped and hugged his legs. Absent minded he stroked her head then crouched down in front of the two young easterlings.

"Did you sleep well Fuinur?"

The boy just nodded and turned his head away unsure what to do or say.

"Come then. I'm sure you're hungry." He held out his hand towards them. Taali took the cue and toddled with a happy grin over to him allowing him to pick her up. During the journey she had grown close to the steward. Expertly he settled her on one arm and looked at Fuinur. "I should have come faster Fuinur. I'm sorry for your loss, but please talk to me at least."

Fuinur nodded. "I be grateful that you saved me and my sister Lord Faramir, but… I not understand. Why me? Why all the others die? There be no answers to these questions. I feel guilt, that I be alive and rest not." He finished off and turned around angrily brushing away a tear. _What a crybaby he had become!_ He thought contemptible.

"I told you yesterday it's nothing wrong with tears Fuinur. You have a good reason to shed them, but try to remember the good moments you had with your family instead of this last few minutes. It will ease the pain." Without another word Faramir took Fuinur's hand in his and led him down the corridor into the dining room. He walked slowly. The Prince of Ithilien sent his children ahead knowing the boy was embarrassed by his tears. Patiently he waited until Fuinur had composed himself, then put a hand on his shoulder and led him into the dining-room.

The boy's eyes went wide when he saw the amount of food on the table. His usual breakfast had consisted out of a small piece of hard bread, an even smaller piece of old cheese and some milk from their goats.

Here he saw bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh bread, butter and some things he didn't recognize but looked like mashed fruits.

"Have a seat! Eat as much as you want, we'll have to discuss a lot of things after the breakfast."

He didn't have to ask twice. Fuinur sat down on a chair and positioned his little sister next to him. Without waiting for the others he grabbed a small bread, sliced it in half with a knife and handed one of the pieces to his sisters. Then he picked up a small jar, which contained strawberry jam. He eyed it curiously, dipped the tip of the knife into it and licked it off. His eyes lit up at the sweet taste and he put a large portion of it onto his bread, then continued to pick a piece of every dish on the table. Every once and awhile he handed something to his sister, who happily munched away on everything that got into her reach.

Fuinur was still eating even after everyone else was finished. Between two bites he threw a questioning look around the table, then waited enough long to swallow. "Aren't you going to eat more?" He asked in the tongue of Rhun.

Faramir shook his head. "No."

"But then it's going to be food left." The boy frowned. That was foolish. Wasting good food wasn't right.

"The rest will be used, if you're concerned about that."

"But don't you have to pay higher taxes if you have food leftover?" Fuinur objected.

"No."

"What are you talking about?" Hallas interrupted curiously.

"We're talking about the breakfast." Faramir replied with a somewhat amused smile.

Hallas shook his head. He didn't feel comfortable in the company of an easterling, "May I leave the table?"

"Yes, but stay in the house. You will show Fuinur around in the city later." Faramir turned towards his young guests, "And as for you... we have some things to discuss."

Fuinur nodded and sat up straighter. "What you want me to do?" He asked in his broken Westron.

"Nothing, we're just going to talk. Lets go into my study, there we can talk without being disturbed." He stated with a pointed glare towards Firiel. The young girl huffed and crossed her arms. "You remember what I told you about eavesdropping?" Faramir reminded.

"Yes, Ada."

"Good. Then go out and play with your friends."

"Okay!" She jumped off her chair and ran outside.

Faramir stood up and made an inviting gesture towards the hall. Fuinur stood up and picked up Taali when he passed her chair. The toddler burrowed her hands in his clothes and squealed happily.

Eowyn followed them at the same time making sure that her nosy youngest wasn't trying to follow them.  
>Once they gotten inside the room, Faramir sat down in a comfortable looking chair. Eowyn sat down on a similar armchair next to him.<p>

"Sit down children." She said gently. Fuinur hesitated for a second, but then lowered himself into another chair.

"Eowyn and I talked a long time about you yesterday." He started and looked over at his wife. It had been her who had proposed it.

She took the hint and continued, "We want to invite you to live her as our guests until you're old enough to take care of yourself."

Fuinur simply stared at them for a moment then, "WHAT!?"

"I know it must be surprising for you, but we feel responsible for you and your little sister. My men and I arrived too late." Faramir explained.

"I…" The boy broke off and pressed his fist tightly together. "I not accept… I do not know word, but it be similar like help. I not accept help from you." He growled. "You doing this out of pity."

"No. I do this because it's my duty that you have everything you need to grove up. I came too late to your aid. If you want you can grow up in my household." When the boy opened his mouth to argue Faramir raised a hand to silence him, "You will not stay here as a servant. You and Taali will be treated the same as I treat my children. And when you're an adult you're free to go wherever you want."

Fuinur was silent for a few moments weighing the pros and cons. It would be a perfect place for Taali. Here she could grow up in safety and maybe even find a decent man, once she was old enough to get married. At the same time he could train to become a warrior and once he was old enough, he would leave. "I accept." He finally declared.

Faramir heard at the tone of the boy's voice that he had struggled hard to come to this solution. "Good. Then Hallas can show you around in the city. You have to get to know this place. After all it will become your new home."


End file.
